China to build intelligent ‘super expressway’ in Zhejiang by 2022

China is planning to build a 161-km-long, six-lane intelligent expressway by 2022 in Zhejiang Province in the east, local authorities said today.

The road surface has been made of a transparent, weight-bearing material that allows sunlight to penetrate. (Reuters)

China is planning to build a 161-km-long, six-lane intelligent expressway by 2022 in Zhejiang Province in the east, local authorities said today. The freeway, linking Hangzhou with Ningbo, is expected to increase the average traffic speed by 20 to 30 per cent, slashing the travel time between the two cities from two hours to just one, they said. China’s expressways have the speed limits of between 100 kmph and 120 kmph, with the average traffic speed estimated at 90 kmph. The new intelligent expressway system will incorporate a monitoring system as well as a warning system to maintain the safety of vehicles while increasing the average traffic speed, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. “It will also include Internet of Vehicles technology, supporting autonomous driving in the future,” said Ren Zhong, deputy director of the provincial department of transportation. “We will make mobile charging for electric vehicles possible on the super highway in the future,” he added. China had opened one-km section of its first solar expressway for testing last month.

According to the project developer Qilu Transportation Development Group, solar panels, covering 5,875 square metres, have been laid beneath a part of ring road surrounding Jinan, capital city of Shandong Province in east China. The road surface has been made of a transparent, weight-bearing material that allows sunlight to penetrate. The panels can generate 1 million KWH of power in a year, enough to meet the everyday demand of around 800 households, the developer said.